Reading and writing helps us leap from knowing to understanding. In fact, literacy is prioritized as one of the fundamentals of education recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. In the following lines, you will find the testimony of a teacher and a group of students from Ecuador, who are back in their classroom, a safe space where they collaboratively boost their literacy skills:
Our UN teams are on the ground, working with governments and key stakeholders to bolster countries’ responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, helping ensure a smooth recovery. They tackle a range of multi-faceted priorities and key initiatives on a daily basis—from climate action to gender equality and food security—and utilize innovative approaches to problem-solving to better serve communities. Below are some highlights of their work this month.
With devastating effects on the Ukrainian people, infrastructure and economy, the war in Ukraine will also potentially have far-reaching impacts on sustainable development globally. This was a key message today at a high-level conference on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine, noting dire impacts already being felt globally.
“Apocalyptic” is the word that sprang to mind when I visited communities in the orange and red zones just nine days after the devastating eruption of La Soufrière.
Adisa's schedule to make sure water is available at home required her to travel some 1.5 kilometres to fetch from a stream. After a hectic day, walking to get water was another strenuous task. Today, Adisa, a 28-year-old mother of five, no longer rushes from work.
"Water is everything to me. Nowadays, I really need it, water balances me; I need to observe it and always be in contact with cities near the water. At the same time water mobilizes me, I suffer when I see the pollution. My motivation is to find solutions to this problem that affects everyone," explains Yago.
UN country teams worldwide are continuing the fight against COVID-19 by stepping up efforts to support governments in their response and recovery efforts, including the vaccination efforts via the COVAX Facility.